Independence Day features music and fireworks
COSHOCTON – Celebrating Independence Day should be easy this weekend in Coshocton County.
Selecting how, when and where to do it might prove a little bit tougher.
For the first time, the Coshocton Airport Amphitheater, 24569 Airport Road, will host Fourth of July fireworks and music starting at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The gates will open at 5 p.m., with the fireworks set to begin at 10 p.m., according to Shane Pyle, CAA board member.
The Coshocton Community Band will perform at 5:30 p.m. The Parrots of the Caribbean, a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, will follow at 7:30 p.m. Extreme Pyrotechnics will put on the fireworks show.
Everything is free, but donations will be accepted, Pyle said. Money raised through donations will support the amphitheater, the Wounded Warrior Project and Honor Flight, he said.
The amphitheater can accomodate up to 8,000 spectators, Pyle said, and plenty of free parking should be available in adjacent fields.
“Let’s just hope the rain lets up,” he said.
Celebrants should expect “a really good show,” Pyle said. “We’ve spared no expense to make this a visual and audio spectacle. This being our inaugural event, we wanted to make this special to honor our veterans, who we would not be celebrating the Fourth of July without.”
Until this year, the Coshocton Towne Centre Association hosted Independence Day events at the Coshocton County Fairgrounds. That group folded shortly after last year’s celebration.
The Coshocton Airport Amphitheater Board took over the Fourth of July fireworks show, with Saturday’s celebration the only event scheduled for the amphitheater this year, Pyle said.
Also Saturday, Coshocton native Casee Allen will headline a Hometown Independence Day Concert at Lake Park Pavilion. Billy Moody and the 8 Seconds Band will open the show at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $10 in advance.
Allen, recently of Nashville, will follow with a show that features a mix of traditional, rock and pop songs.
“I just throw it all in the mix,” he said, “’cause I love it all. Nothing’s changed. I’m still the same guy.”
The show is expected to wrap up before the fireworks begin at the Airport Amphitheater.
Although he has now lived in Nashville for two years, Allen said he enjoys returning home to Coshocton to perform.
“I’m just trying to come back home as much as I can,” he said.
On Friday night, Allen and his band will perform at Red, White & Boom in Columbus.
jwilliams6@coshoctontribune.com
740-295-3417
Twitter: @Joeadvocate
If you go
Fourth of July Fireworks and music
•When: Saturday
•Where: Coshocton Airport Amphitheater, 24569 Airport Road, Coshocton
•FYI: Gates open at 5 p.m., performance by Coshocton County Community Band at 5:30 p.m., with Jimmy Buffet tribute band Parrots of the Caribbean to follow, fireworks at dark. Shuttle service from Coshocton Christian Tabernacle Church available.
All-American Breakfast
•When: 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday
•Where: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 920 Hill St.
•FYI: Candy canon and fireworks for kids along with a breakfast that is open to the public.
Hometown Independence Day Concert
•When: Saturday
•Where: Lake Park Pavilion
•FYI: Billy Moody and the 8 Seconds Band will open for Coshocton native Casee Allen. Doors open at 4 p.m. with music starting at 6 p.m. and finishing by the time fireworks start at the Airport Amphitheater. Presale tickets cost $10, with 500 available. Tickets available at Jeff Drennen Dealership, Advanced Spinal Care, Sixth Street Tattoo and by calling 740-294-7183. Concessions available and attendees can bring their own alcohol.
Thunder Over Millersburg
•When: Friday to Sunday
•Where: Downtown Millersburg, Holmes County
•FYI: Opening ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. Friday with fireworks at dark Saturday. Live entertainment, children play area, food vendors, beer garden and Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial throughout the three days.